Amino Acids

The Building Blocks

By Grant Snow

The importance of protein and amino acids has been explained in previous articles but I think it’s time to take a more in-depth look at amino acids and how they affect muscle growth.
Amino acids are the foundation for building proteins and muscle tissue. A protein molecule is made up of long chains of amino acids bonded to each other.
There are many different bonds and the particular combination of amino acids is what gives the protein its properties. To be a top-notch bodybuilder, you must understand exactly how they function in your system and their role in your muscle development.

Amino acids are involved in more than just muscle tissue rebuilding and protein synthesis, they are involved in physiological processes such as energy production, recovery, muscle hypertrophy, fat loss and strength gains. Mastering all of these processes will make you the bodybuilder that you want to be.
All tissues in our body are broken down and rebuilt at some point. For someone that lifts weights, muscle tissue is constantly going through this process. Of course, the rate at which this happens depends on protein synthesis and protein breakdown.
Protein synthesis and protein breakdown depend on the amount of protein, carbohydrates and other nutrients you consume, especially amino acids. In addition, your basic lifestyle and genetics play a role in your ability to regenerate muscle tissue.
When you lift weights, the muscle cells that create the force needed to accomplish the desired movement can be damaged. As you push the muscles to lift heavier or more intensely, your body knows it must do something to handle the new stress. Your body gets rid of the damaged muscle cells and replaces them with new, stronger ones. In order to keep this cycle functioning, it is of paramount importance to get the required amounts of nutrients and combinations of amino acids. You cannot create new muscle cells to replace the damaged ones if you do not have enough amino acids to form the building blocks.
There are two categories that these building blocks known as amino acids can be separated into: Essential and Non-essential. Essential amino acids must be eaten or taken as supplements because the body cannot make them from other sources.
The fact that some amino acids are designated Non-essential does not mean that you do not require them. It simply means your system can make them from other amino acids, so you don’t have to consume them directly.
There are nine essential amino acids: Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan and Valine. The twelve non-essential amino acids are: Alanine, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Cysteine, Cystine, Glutamic Acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Ornithine, Proline, Serine and Tyrosine.
When you consume an amino acid, what happens to it depends on your system’s current needs. When food is broken down and the amino acids are still in your liver, some may stay there in order to produce important proteins such as liver enzymes, lipoproteins and the blood protein (albumin). Other amino acids are directed into the blood stream where they mix with amino acids released during the processes of tissue breakdown and synthesis. As they flow through the blood stream, cells that require them will select from the available amino acids depending on what function the cell has. If there are not adequate amounts of the correct combination of amino acids to synthesize proteins within the cells, the amino acids return to the blood stream from the cell. However, they don’t just keep floating around until another cell can use them, they end up returning to the liver where they are forced to give up their nitrogen. It gets integrated into urea and discharged by the kidneys. What is left of the amino acid is then either converted to glucose and used as energy, or converted to fat or glycogen and stored by your body.
Your body’s number one priority is survival. Functions such as respiration, digestion and circulation receive priority over protein synthesis. Without the right amounts of carbohydrates or fats in your system, the proteins in your blood will be used for energy to support the vital functions. You must be sure you are consuming adequate amounts of carbohydrates and fats, otherwise your body will confiscate your amino acids for energy instead of building muscle.
When you have just finished a workout, your muscles are in a state where they demand amino acids to rebuild proteins that regenerate muscle tissue. Even if you consume a high-protein meal immediately after your training session, it takes a couple of hours for your digestive system to break down the proteins and get the amino acids into your blood stream where they can be used. By supplementing with free form amino acids, you can get amino acids into your blood stream within 15 minutes. This is because free form amino acids are not chemically bonded to any other compounds and can readily be absorbed through the small intestine and into the blood. This ensures that current muscle is not catabolized. In addition, blood will not rush to the stomach in order to digest free from amino acids. This keeps it in the muscle being trained, where it belongs.
I mentioned earlier that in the absence of glucose, the body uses amino acids to produce energy. It will also break down muscle tissue to do this. You may have read about the process known as gluconeogenesis, which is the process of creating glucose from substances that are not carbohydrates. When this happens with amino acids, the body uses Branched Chain Amino Acids (three of the essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine) that it cannibalises from the muscle tissue.
Branched Chain Amino Acids are very important for building muscle. BCAAs are absorbed directly into the circulation and don’t require processing in the liver, which allows for quick protein synthesis. Studies have shown that BCAAs directly supply the nitrogen needed to create and export concentrations of alanine and glutamine produced by muscle. This causes the BCAA concentrations to be reduced by any form of exercise. Resistance training with weights has been shown to reduce these levels in the system by up to 20%. The BCAAs that were cannibalised from the muscle are converted to the amino acid alanine, which is transported to the liver and converted to glucose.
If you supplement with Branched Chain Amino Acids during and immediately after your workout, your body won’t need to scavenge them from muscle tissue. Therefore, you will be able to stop the needless breakdown of precious muscle tissue for energy purposes. Muscle takes a long time to build and even longer if you let it be wasted.
Branched Chain Amino Acids serve another purpose in your system. When blood concentrations of BCAAs are high, a signal is sent to your brain that muscle is being broken down. This tricks your body into releasing insulin and cutting back on the production of cortisol. The result is a much more anabolic environment. BCAAs are metabolised at an accelerated rate during exercise. Keeping abundant supplies of amino acids in the system keeps your body in an optimum state for growth.
Another significant reason to supplement with amino acids is that essential amino acids are more important to the protein synthesis cycle than non-essential amino acids. Studies have shown that when the essential amino acids are consumed, that non-essential amino acids are not required to synthesize proteins. As a matter-of-fact, the same size serving of essential amino acids was shown to increase protein synthesis by twice as much as the non-essential amino acids. Essential amino acids consumed after exercise have been proven to increase protein synthesis by as much as 200%.
Pre-workout intake of essential amino acids should be about 15%-20% of your bodyweight. As an example, if you weigh 100kg, then you should take 15-20g of essential amino acids before you train. In the middle of your workout, take the same ratio of BCAAs. When the workout is complete, add another 5g of BCAAs along with your carbohydrates. This will ensure you keep your body out of a catabolic state.
The importance of amino acids in your bodybuilding program cannot be underestimated. They perform several functions in your system that correspond with adding muscle and losing fat. Understanding their function will allow you to plan your diet accordingly in order to make maximum gains. Besides eating plenty of high quality proteins, ensure you supplement your diet with free form and branched chain amino acids.
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